Sunday, May 29, 2016

For the second consecutive Sunday, Jordan Spieth finds himself with the final tee time in the concluding round of a PGA Tour event in Texas.

Once again, the 22-year-old is hoping to be the lone star atop the leaderboard. ... Sorry.

Spieth carries a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Dean & DeLuca Invitational, sitting at 12-under 198 and one clear of Ryan Palmer and Webb Simpson. He's looking for his first pro win in the state of Texas, and he's looking to do it at Hogan's Alley in Ft. Worth at Colonial Country Club, where he finished runner-up last year to Chris Kirk.

A week ago, Spieth had to stare down the monstrous drives of Brooks Koepka in Irving at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Holding his game together with the glue of his short game, Spieth faded on Sunday, shooting a 74 that dropped him into a tie for 18th place on a course that doesn't truly suit his game.

This week, Spieth will have to compete for the gallery's affection with Ryan Palmer, his Sunday competitive partner and a member at the host club. Overnight rains also forced the PGA Tour's hand, shifting to threesomes. That means Webb Simpson, also at 11 under par with Palmer, will make it a threesome.

"It will be a fun dynamic," said Spieth, who shot a 5-under 65 on Saturday. "It'll be cool because as a member, he'll have tons of support and we have had tons of support this week."

There will also be a little collegiate rivalry in the final pairing. Spieth went to the University of Texas and led their men's golf team to a national championship. Palmer, 39, went to rival Texas A&M.

“A Longhorn and an Aggie, that’s going to be the fun part of the thing,” Palmer said. “I’ll tell Jordan to wear burnt orange and I’ll wear my maroon. But both colors won’t look good with that (plaid) jacket, either.”

Spieth is looking for his eighth PGA Tour win and first since surrendering a five-shot lead with nine holes to play at the Masters in April.